Editorial 08/04/2014- Spirit vs. Emotion
A little while ago, I was searching the various forums and comments sections on Youtube, and I found an interesting discussion. People were replying to a video about spiritual experiences in media, saying that they weren't able to separate those from highly emotional ones. I've been experiencing both as a religious man, but this was the first time I had actually been asked to put the difference between the two into words. For the past few weeks, I've been asking myself "What is the difference between an emotional experience and a spiritual one?"
It wasn't an easy question to solve, but there DOES seem to be a fundamental difference. On its own, an emotional experience only satisfies, well, emotional needs and catharsis. In the end, though, it doesn't make too big of a difference outside the art piece. It helps bring out emotions that may not normally be felt, or it may balance chemical levels so that the viewer is happier overall, but the characters' problems only end up being the character's problems, no matter how similar they may be to yours. However, SPIRITUAL experiences are much harder to nail. Instead of bringing out emotions, they bring out unique answers. They beg and solve questions regarding the universe, the nature of life, and our place in it. It gives us a more solid idea of what direction our lives should go in and put our physical, emotional, and social ideals towards.
At first glance, it could easily be said that the two (spiritual and emotional) are interchangeable. This may be thanks to how often they are used to complement each other, and to great effect. "Jurassic Park" uses sheer awe and spectacle as well as raw horror to reinforce the idea of remembering your limits and not messing with what's outside them. The soothing-yet-uplifting nature of the song "Into the West" helps to powerfully contemplate and understand trials in an almost heavenly sense. It also works well the other way around. H.P. Lovecraft was an expert of using the idea of the Cthulu Mythos (that nothing out in the cosmos gives a flying leap about whether or not you exist) to generate his own field of horror. Even something as simple as (spoilers) the alien deity specifically addressing the player at the end of "Assassin's Creed 2" can help the player feel more powerful and in more control, even if it was all scripted in the end.
It's also worth noting that the spirituality of a piece is more important than most people realize. It's much more than just an idea of crazed minds. (I'M not saying it is, but there are people who do.) It's the message that carries through it. For a journey to truly be a journey, it needs a goal, a place, thing, or concept to strive towards. Hope is the essential part, and is irreplaceable, no matter how much you indulge into any physical, emotional, or social activities. As great as any piece can be in the other categories, that spiritual aspects is what separates the simple stories from the classics, and part of the reason why religious texts are more easily remembered than others.
For a little experiment, look through your library of films, novels, or games. Make two lists mentally or physically: one of your favorite pieces or the ones that will stick with you for some time, and the other for pieces that you either hate or forgot too quickly. Look through the items you chose for the list. Why did you appreciate/ despise them? Was the balance between moral and power more even in your positives or your negatives? What were you thinking or doing in the middle of that experience? As you do so, remember that you're looking for emotion, why you should invest in a piece, and spirit, what you should take out. While similar in many ways, they are also basically different, and can barely exist without the other.
Special thanks to Dave D.
It wasn't an easy question to solve, but there DOES seem to be a fundamental difference. On its own, an emotional experience only satisfies, well, emotional needs and catharsis. In the end, though, it doesn't make too big of a difference outside the art piece. It helps bring out emotions that may not normally be felt, or it may balance chemical levels so that the viewer is happier overall, but the characters' problems only end up being the character's problems, no matter how similar they may be to yours. However, SPIRITUAL experiences are much harder to nail. Instead of bringing out emotions, they bring out unique answers. They beg and solve questions regarding the universe, the nature of life, and our place in it. It gives us a more solid idea of what direction our lives should go in and put our physical, emotional, and social ideals towards.
At first glance, it could easily be said that the two (spiritual and emotional) are interchangeable. This may be thanks to how often they are used to complement each other, and to great effect. "Jurassic Park" uses sheer awe and spectacle as well as raw horror to reinforce the idea of remembering your limits and not messing with what's outside them. The soothing-yet-uplifting nature of the song "Into the West" helps to powerfully contemplate and understand trials in an almost heavenly sense. It also works well the other way around. H.P. Lovecraft was an expert of using the idea of the Cthulu Mythos (that nothing out in the cosmos gives a flying leap about whether or not you exist) to generate his own field of horror. Even something as simple as (spoilers) the alien deity specifically addressing the player at the end of "Assassin's Creed 2" can help the player feel more powerful and in more control, even if it was all scripted in the end.
It's also worth noting that the spirituality of a piece is more important than most people realize. It's much more than just an idea of crazed minds. (I'M not saying it is, but there are people who do.) It's the message that carries through it. For a journey to truly be a journey, it needs a goal, a place, thing, or concept to strive towards. Hope is the essential part, and is irreplaceable, no matter how much you indulge into any physical, emotional, or social activities. As great as any piece can be in the other categories, that spiritual aspects is what separates the simple stories from the classics, and part of the reason why religious texts are more easily remembered than others.
For a little experiment, look through your library of films, novels, or games. Make two lists mentally or physically: one of your favorite pieces or the ones that will stick with you for some time, and the other for pieces that you either hate or forgot too quickly. Look through the items you chose for the list. Why did you appreciate/ despise them? Was the balance between moral and power more even in your positives or your negatives? What were you thinking or doing in the middle of that experience? As you do so, remember that you're looking for emotion, why you should invest in a piece, and spirit, what you should take out. While similar in many ways, they are also basically different, and can barely exist without the other.
Special thanks to Dave D.
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